Kim Kardashian West, Esq. What once upon a time would’ve made for a great Saturday Night Live sketch may soon (well, in a few years) be a reality, in light of the socialite-cum-business-mogul’s recent announcement that she’s studying law. That’s right, studying, as in, Vogue reports, she’s already begun a four year apprenticeship and intends to take the bar exam, in 2022.
Here’s the sitch: In California, (and in Virginia, Washington state, and Vermont) lawyers can take the bar exam sans undergrad and law-school degree through a process called “reading the law.” California requires a four-year apprenticeship under a practicing lawyer with at least five years’ experience for a minimum of 18 hours a week, five of which must be directly supervised. And wait, there’s more! Apprentices have to complete monthly tests and have biannual progress reports submitted to the California Bar Association. And reportedly, Kim’s been on the case since July.
Okay, okay, before you roll your eyes, let’s note two key differences between Kardashian and other privileged folks finding loopholes that lead to a desired path like, say, Olivia Jade: 1. Kim has already demonstrated serious dedication in the form of time and energy to her apprenticeship (nine months already, people), and that’s not isn’t something to scoff at. 2. Reading the law is a real, available opportunity that any person in those specified four states can take advantage of, regardless of background or circumstance.
Kardashian’s law-world moves make her role model to all people who want to follow their dreams, even if they didn’t choose a major of study relevant to that dream at age 18.
Moreover, this is really solid inspo anyone can look to for a later-in-life rebrand. Even with full awareness of all the access Kardashian has to basically anything she wants, it’s still something for a 38-year-old mom of three (and soon to be four), to embark on a new career that requires no shortage of dedication, an influx of knowledge, and time-management skills that may even impress RBG. Especially considering that as one of the faces of the KarJenner empire, she could happily just sit on a pile of cash all day, every day—and then call it a day. So sure, she’s rich, but seems like she’s choosing to wield her privilege to make some good stuff happen.
In fact, Kardashian has utilized her privilege for good (and legal) reasons before: Last summer she was instrumental in getting clemency granted to Alice Marie Johnson, who, since 1996, was serving a life sentence in prison on a nonviolent drug charge. Upon hearing of Johnson’s story, Kardashian joined forces with commentator Van Jones and a team of lawyers to argue for Johnson’s clemency, even when advised not to.
“I made a decision to go to the White House when everyone was telling me, ‘Don’t go, your career will be over; you can’t step foot in there,’” she told Vogue. “And I was like, ‘It’s my reputation over someone’s life?’ Weigh that out. People talk shit about me all day long. It will just be another story about me versus someone getting their life back.” Nice.
This eventually led to Kardashian committing to promote prison reform with bipartisan advocacy group #cut50, the catalyst for this big law-minus-law-school personal decision.
So is the mood just, “Well, now we can take Kim Kardashian seriously”? Child, no. As Legally Blonde points out, it’s sexist and narrow-minded to dismiss someone based on appearances—meaning if you’re just now choosing to understand what a force Kardashian is, you, my silly friend, are very late to the game. After all, the mogul has already convinced America to buy into her brand, her app, her makeup, her four sisters, and plenty of Instagram scams. She is, if nothing else, a shrewd businessperson who should hardly be underestimated, especially when it comes to the art of persuasion.
You can say all you want that her show is mind-numbing and she’s famous for nothing, but you can’t call her uninspiring. Kardashian’s law-world moves make her role model to all people who want to follow their dreams, even if they didn’t choose a major of study relevant to that dream at age 18. By adding new dimensions to her story and taking an unconventional route to get stuff done, she’s reinforcing that you don’t have to be bound to your reputation so long as you believe in yourself. So I get the skepticism here, but overall, I definitely do not object.
While Kim is brushing up on law, learn about how Kendall Jenner is becoming the fam’s wellness guru. And if you need something else to chew on, enjoy these six healthy snacks that Khloé Kardashian swears by.
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